Automatic variable-speed mechanism



J. W. DROLL.

AUTOMATIC VARIABLE SPE ED MECHANISM.

APPLlCATiON FILED Aue.2s,1919.

1 372 87 11. O Patent/e01 Mar 29 1921.,

J. W. DROLL.

AUTOMATIC VARIABLE SPEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.25, 1919.

1 372 587 1 0 Emma Mar. 29, 1.921.

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J. W. DROLL.

AUTOMATIC VARIABLE SPEED MECHANISM.

APPLlCATiON FILED AUG. 5|1 1 ]Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

6 SHEETSSHEET 4.

J. W. DROLL.

AUTOMATIC VARIABLE SPEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25, 1919.

1,872,81 1 o I Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

6 SHEETSSHEET 5 1. W. DROLL.

AUTOMATIC VARIABLE SPEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25, 1919.

1,3723? 10 Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

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Application filed August 25,

same at predetermined periods.

The present invention is an improvement on United States Patent No. 1,300,140. issued to me on the 8th day of April, 1919, formattress roll forming machine, reference to which patent is hereby made, 1n order that the present lmprovement may be fully comprehended.

In the mattress roll forming machine referred to a mattress supporting table' supports a mattress having the usual rounded corners, 'to be worked by a mattress roll forming and stitching machine slidably. mounted to move around the sides and ends I of the table to form a roll on the edge of said mattress, said machine being moved. predetermined distances-at regular intervals to operate on the mattress.

I have found from experience that while traversing the rounded corners of the table adj acent the rounded corners of the mattress thereon that the machine does not engage the mattress and perform its work as effec; tively at the same speed as when traversing the straight sides and ends of the table. Therefore, in order to produce rolls on the corners and sides having a uniform compactness and neatness it is necessary to reduce 'the speed of the machine and also of the operating mechanism thereof while rounding said corners. Also this reduction in speed must be accomplished automatically at a predetermined point.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide improved means for automatically reducing the speed of the operating machine while rounding the corners and for automatically increasing the speed to normal as soon as the rounded corner has been passed.

It is also an object to reduce the working speed of the operating mechanism of the machine while rounding the rounded corners of the table as well as retarding the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar.

29, rear. 1919. Serial No. 320,039. forward movement of the machine relatively to the table and the work thereon.

I accomplish these objects by means of the mechanism disclosed in the drawings forming a part of the present specification wherein like characters to designate similar parts throughout the said specification and drawings, and in which: J i

' Figure 1 is a broken elevation of one corner of the supporting table disclosing the mattress roll forming and stitching machine slidably mounted upon one side thereof and approaching said corner;

Fig. 2 is a broken right hand elevation .of'

the machine and with the table partly in section disclosing the manner in which the machine isslidably mounted upon the table, and the mechanism for operating the variable speed device;

Fig. 3 is a left hand elevation of Fig. 1 disclosing the variable speed mechanism and its controlling device;

Figs't and 5 are enlarged broken detailed views disclosing a portion of the variable speed mechanism in different positions as' viewed from the line 45 in Fig. 3 of the "drawings and in the direction indicated;

Fig. is an enlarged broken detailed view, partly in section, disclosing the low speed members; I

of reference are used Fig.7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6; inthe direction indicated, and

Fig. 8 is a broken plan View of the table disclosing the positions of the trips for automatically shifting the variable speed mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 is used to designate a mattress supporting table having a top 2 with. rounded corners 3' thereon and a vertically disposed flange .4 arranged on all sides of said top 2. Mounted upon the sides and ends of the table 1 and below the top 2 thereof I have provided upper and lower rack bars 5 and 6 engaged by pinions 7 and 8 respectively on theupper and lower ends of a vertically disposed shaft 9 rotatably mounted within forming and stitching machine 19 which 'is slidably mounted upon the side of the table 1 by means of the pivoted casters 11 which ride in a track 12, said track being preferably formed of an upwardly faced channel, as disclosed in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

The roll forming and stitchingmachine comprises, briefly, a frame carrying a suita mattress roll Y packing and sewing mechanism 21 as well as the moving means 26 or moving the machine relatively to the ta le 1 and the mattress thereon, not shown.

The packing and sewing, as well as the moving mechanism. form no part of the present invention and therefore need not be described, except that it should be noted that said mechanisms are operated directly from the main driving shaft 23.

The countershaft 17 is'also provided with a second gear 27 which meshes with a gear 28 rotatably mounted upon the shaft 23 and provided with a ratchet mechanism 29 arranged to engage a collar 31 on the shaft 23 and rotate said shaft when said ratchet mechanism travels at a greater speed-than said shaft, and to release said shaft when the same rotates at a greater speed than the mechahism 29, the purpose of which will hereinafter be more fully described.

The clutch member 22 feathered upon the main driving shaft 23 is provided with a grooved collar 32 which is engaged by the free end of a upon the rear of the machine 10 as at'34rand provided with a depending portion 36 arranged to be engaged by trips 37 stationed one at each corner of the table 1. v

The gears 18 and 27 of the counter shaft 17 and the gears 19 and 28 together with the clutch members 21 and 22, and the lever 33 and trip 37constitutes the automatic variable speed mechanism.

As the machine 10 is moved intermittently around the sides of the table 1 by the moving mechanism 26, fully described in my copending application Serial Number 320,038, filed August 25th. 1919, driven directly from the main driving shaft 1, and the roll forming and stitching mechanism engages the edges of a mattress. not shown, and forms' and stitches the roll thereon. 'As the machine 10 approaches one of the rounded corners 3 of the table 1 the depending portion 36 of the lever 33 is engaged andactuated by the trip 37 on the corner of said table 1 to raise the grooved collar 32 and thereby disengage the clutch member 22 feathered on the main driveshaft 23 from the clutch member 21 of the driving gear 19 thereby temporarily releasing thedriving power from said main driving shaft 23 which permits a decrease of speed of the entire machine and its several mechanisms. When the speed of the shaft 23 decreases to the speed of the gear 28 containing the ratchet clutch 29 said ratchet clutch 29 engages said shaft 23 and; rotates the same at said speed, the clutch lever '33 pivotally mounted member 22 being meanwhile held from engagement with the clutch member 21 by the continued engagement of the depending portion 36 of the lever 33 by the upper surface of the trip 37 portion 36 rides during the period in which the machine 10 is traversing the rounded corner of the table 1.

As soon as said machine 10 has passed the corner the depending portion 36 of the lever 33 passes the trip 37 and is then returned to normal position by means of a weight 38 on the depending portion 36 which weight operates to move the clutch member 22 on the main driving shaft 23 into engaging relation with the clutch member 21 of the gear 19 thereby increasing or returning the speed .ofthe machine and its several mechanisms to normal or high speed-to tra verse the adjacent straight side portion cf.

the table 1.

It should be noted that Figs. 6 and 7 disclose portions .of the variable speed transmission, the views being arranged to conters Patent isz' 1. The combination with a work supporting table having rounded corners thereon and a machine mounted to move around the sides and corners of the table to engage work thereon, said machine having operating and moving mechanism, of a variable speed mechanism mounted upon the machine to transmit movement to said operating and moving mechanism, said variable speed mechanism comprising a main driving shaft a power driven counter shaft normal and. low speed gears mounted upon 531d counter shaft; a normal speed transmitting gear mounted upon the driving shaft in meshing relation with the normal speed gear of the counter shaft; clutching means mounted upon the driving shaft adjacent the normal speed gear adapted to normally impart. rotation from said normal speed gear to said driving shaft; means for oper-- ating said clutching means to release the driving shaft from said normal speed gear while traversing the rounded table, corners;

a low speed gear rotatably mounted upon the driving shaft in meshing relation with the low speed gear of the counter shaft; and means for automatically impartingrotation through said low speed gears to the driving,

shaft when the speed of said driving shaft shall have been reduced to the speed of said low speed gearwhen said driving shaft is released from the normal speed gear.

2. The combination with-a worksupporting table having rounded corners thereon and a machine mounted to move around the sides and corners of the table to engage work thereon, said machine having operating and moving mechanism. of a variable speed mechanism mounted upon the machine to transmit movement to said operating and moving mechanism. said variable speed mechanism comprising a main driving shaft: a power driven counter shaft: normal and low speed gears mounted upon said counter shaft: a normal speed transmitting l gear mounted upon the driving shaftin meshing relation with the normal speed gear of the counter shaft: clutching means mounted upon the driving shaft adjacent the normal speed gear adapted tonormally impart rotation from said normal speed gear to said driving shaft: means for operating saidclutching means to release the driving shaft from said normal speed gear while traversing the rounded table corners; a low speed gear rotatably mounted upon the driving shaft in meshing relation with the low speed gear of the counter shaft; a ratchet operativel mounted adjacent said low speed gear on the driving shaft for automatically engaging said driving shaft and imparting rotation thereto when the speed of said driving shaft shall have been reduced to the speed of said low speed gear when the driving shaft is released from the normal speed gear.

The combination with a work supporting table having rounded corners thereon and a machine mounted to move around the sides and corners of the table to engage work thereon. said machine having operating and moving mechanism. of a variable speed mechanism mountedupon the machine to transmit movement to said operating and moving mechanism. said variable speed mechanism comprising a main driving shaft: a power driven counter shaft: normal and low speed gears mounted upon said counter shaft: a normal speed transmitting gear mounted upon the driving shaft in meshing relation with the normal speed gear of the counter shaft: clutching means mounted upon the driving shaft adjacent the normal speed gear adapted to normall impart rotation from said normal speed gear to said driving shaft; means for operating said clutching means to release the driving shaft from said normal speed gear while traversing the rounded table corners; a low speed gear rotatably mounted upon the driving shaft in meshing relation with the low speed gear of the counter shaft; a ratchetoperatively connecting said low speed gear to the driving shaft for automaticall engaging said shaft and imparting rotation thereto while released from engagement with the normal speed gear in traversing corners. and for permitting rotation of the driving shaft at normal speed when the nor-- mal speed clutch is in engagement.

4. The combination w th a work supporting table having rounded corners thereon and a machine mounted to move around the sides and corners of the table to engage work thereon. said machine having operating and moving mechanism of a variable speed mechanism mounted upon the machine to transmit movement to said operating-and moving mechanism. said variable speed mechanism comprising a main driving shaft: a power driven counter shaft: normal and low speed gears mounted upon said counter shaft: a normal speed transmitting gear mounted upon the driving shaft in meshing relation with the normal speed gear of the counter shaft: a clutch ope 'ativel v mounted upon the driving shaft adjacent the normal speed gear adapted to normally impart rotation from said normal speed gear to said driving shaft: a trip mounted at each corner of the table and arranged to operate the clutch to release the driving shaftfrom the normal speed gear while traversing the rounded table corners: a low speed gear rotatablv mounted upon the driving shaft in meshing relation with the low speed gear of 4 the counter shaft: a ratchetoperatlvely connecting said low speed gear to the driving shaft for automatically engaging said shaft and imparting rotation thereto while released from engagement with the normal speed gear in traversing corners. and for permitting rotation of the driving shaft at normal speed-when the normal speed clutch is in engagement.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my signature.

, JosEPH-w more 

